Kritias - The Day's Recollections
|npc= |trade=1 |product= |craft= |notes= }} Book Contents . Years later, our worst fears became reality. |'Hekatonian Calendar Year 54' Orphan's Empathy I've not heard the name in quite some time. The last words that boy ever spoke to me still echo within my mind. "If I had died in that accident... would anyone have missed me?" |As an orphan with no home or family, it seems his greatest fear was of being forgotten. Perhaps his own circumstances sparked compassion for the girl within him. But I could never be sure, and time has clouded my memory of him. |'Hekatonian Calendar Year 54' Hekaton the Benevolent That is how the people of Kritias saw their king. His strength, wisdom, and compassion surpassed even his extraordinary knowledge of magic. Under his brilliant leadership, Kritias entered into its grand renaissance. |But as the city flourished, the king became weak and frail with age. His once great mind became warped by fear, and his benevolence turned to cruelty. |Even the advanced magical knowledge of Kritias could not stop his aging. Years later... the king I met in the dungeon was no longer the king of old. His lust for immortality had turned him into a monster consumed by hate and greed. | |'Hekatonian Calendar Year 54' Dire Repercussions The most terrifying part of that dungeon wasn't the shadows cast by the flickering torches. It was the sounds echoing through its halls... the low, guttural moans, the endless pounding on the thick iron door. Enduring the constant sound of despair and agony issuing from beneath our feet was enough to drive anyone mad. |After exhaustive research, I finally discovered the shocking truth behind it. We had been conducting experiments to see if we could transfer the girl's power of immortality to another test subject. But the recipient's body always rejected the magic. Every one of our attempts failed, and each time they did, the recipient vanished. |We thought nothing of it until the day a researcher went downstairs to retrieve supplies and discovered the horrifying byproducts of our work. It was only then that I realized... The test subjects' bodies may have been destroyed, but their souls... their souls remained. What we found in the dungeon were their vain attempts to reform bodies they could never again inhabit. |The horror of what we had done was sickening. We had no choice but to seal the dungeon and turn a deaf ear to the tormented souls hidden below. But Hekaton was relentless... bordering on inhuman... and the experiments continued for years. How many lives did we doom to an eternity of suffering? |'Hekatonian Calendar Year 54' Shattered Kingdom When I finally came to my senses, it was far too late. The whole of Kritias was nearly obliterated in the aftermath of Hekaton's failed ritual. What's more, the resultant time disruption was forcing the doomed kingdom into the future. |It was then that the Black Mage discovered Tana's existence and invaded Kritias. A burst of magic that intense could never have gone unnoticed. Ironically, Hekaton regained his humanity only as the failed experiment began to destroy his body. He spent his final moments evacuating the people of Trueffet. The memory of those lost will forever haunt me. |'Hekatonian Calendar Year 54' Atonement So many lives ended with Kritias's demise. How could I remain a priest after being party to such heinous acts? So I exiled myself... I intend to spend what remains of my life atoning. I know it is impossible, and I will forever be consumed with sorrow, but it is the only fate I deserve. }} Category:Books